


Internal Emotion

by abnormaldemon



Series: R.H.Y.S [1]
Category: Borderlands
Genre: AI!Rhys, Alternate Universe, Body Modification, Bonding, Brain implant, Fluff and Humor, For Science!, Friendship/Love, How Do I Tag, Human Experimentation, I Don't Even Know, Jack is a Little Shit, M/M, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Strange Love, Telepathy, chip implant, eternal love, human/AI, word meanings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2015-09-06
Packaged: 2018-04-19 07:42:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4738193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abnormaldemon/pseuds/abnormaldemon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he was introduced to R.H.Y.S, Jack had his doubts. The idea of having some little voice in his head didn’t seem ideal, but he was urged to do so for his safety, or something like that. So, the AI packed into a little chip was embedded into his arm, creating a direct link to his brain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Internal Emotion

**Author's Note:**

> Rhack. Rhack. RHACK!!! 
> 
> Regular Italics: Rhys Talking
> 
> Bold and Italics: Jack Talking Telepathically to Rhys

* * *

 

When he was introduced to R.H.Y.S, Jack had his doubts. The idea of having some little voice in his head didn’t seem ideal, but he was urged to do so for his safety, or something like that. All the science-y guys said that the planet he was going to for a business deal was uncharted territory and not much was known about the people or whatever they were. So, the AI packed into a little chip was embedded into his arm, creating a direct link to his brain was needed to research and translate and be an overall guide to him.

“So, all I need to do is walk in there, make the deal with it in my head, and then it’ll be removed immediately after I get back?” Jack asked a man with a lab coat who was currently watching his vitals on a tablet. There were others just like him strewn about, running around with charts, equipment, and other things that were slightly perturbing back and forth around him.

“Yes, that is our intended goal. R.H.Y.S is the first portable companion that is able to scan almost an entire planet’s characteristics. It is quite an honor to have you be our first client to have it as a guide, its model was made to fit your brain signature, so there is no other like it.”

Jack grinned, which must have been unsettling since the man stiffened and held his pen tighter. It made him chuckle lowly and lean back in his chair and fold his arms behind his head. “Mighty thoughtful of ya doc, although I’m a bit concerned to have it swarming around in my head.”

“There is no need to worry, sir! R.H.Y.S was originally the conscious of a living person who donated their body to further our research a few years ago. They were a certified member of Hyperion and very loyal. We have made it so the consciousness will only respond to your every command. It will only do what you tell it to, unless you are in a position where you are in any danger that will activate its warning signals to notify us if you are in any threat.”

Jack thought this over for a few quiet moments before standing abruptly, causing the room to hold their breaths. His tall and intimidating frame pacing before he turned to the man with a smile, though his eyes glinted dangerously.

“I see, that makes me soooo much more relaxed. Thanks doc!” He crossed his arms and stared down at where the chip was injected. “If it’s no trouble, would you mind turning R.H.Y.S on for me? I’d like to meet it, get to know it a little bit before we get too serious, ya know?”

“N-No trouble at all, sir! Linda, start the link!” The doctor said, standing and moving to a control panel to the far left while a woman rushed to another and started pressing buttons so fast, Jack couldn’t follow her movements.

A sudden growl of machinery starting drowned out any more thoughts he had and he felt his arm go numb with a dull pulsing in his head. The doctor was looking over his vitals and the process of activating R.H.Y.S feverishly with sweat gathering on his forehead. The other lab coats in the room were moving frantically while watching their own tablets and screens and pressed even more buttons.

Jack raised a brow, amused. All this for a measly chip-

_“Activating. Please wait.”_

The voice was so clear in his head, it knocked Jack speechless with his jaw hanging slightly agape, like he didn’t expect it to actually work. The pulsing became stronger as he spotted the panel the woman, Linda, was at with a bunch of code and words being written on it. His face was on the right hand corner of the screen and below it was a wave of speech of where its voice was talking to the scientists. Then the wave stopped and every eye was on him and it spoke to him again. Voice soft and….shy?

_“…Hello…my name is Resourceful Human Y-Directional System, or Rhys or short. It’s an honor to be your companion to Amita, sir.”_

It was silent as Jack internally struggled to form coherent words to speak to it. Was he supposed to just talk out loud or was there some weird thought talking he had-

_“Both, I guess. It’s entirely up to you on how you would like to talk to me, sir.”_

“Sir? R.H.Y.S is now linked with your wavelength transmission, and is currently in contact with you. Can you hear it?”

Jack nodded slowly and recovered with a snarky grin and pointed to his head. “Yeah, he’s being all polite and shit. Kinda like you pushovers. Any way to change that so I don’t feel the need to blow my brains out every time he speaks?”

Everyone was in shocked silence, but no one dared to speak out against the CEO of Hyperion until Rhy’s voice came out in his head, and Jack found himself grinning with amusement.

_“I simply like putting on a show, sir. I fully intend drive you insane by different means.”_

“Sir?  I could-“

“Shut up, I change my mind. Keep everything the same.”

Murmurs broke out through the room of machinery with nervous and awed glances at partners and the panels showing the inner workings of R.H.Y.S. Although they weren’t getting the words processed between him and Jack inside his head. His thoughts were filled with light laughter.

* * *

 

**_“Hey, kid. Just call me Jack. None of this sir bullshit.”_ **

_“How do you know if I’m a kid? I could be years older than you!”_

Jack smirked and adjusted his jacket collar around the metal seat belt around his body. The ship he was on was only an hour away from Amita, where he would make his business deal with the local rednecks of the planet. Rhys had assured him that he would be able to translate for him and that he would make sure he was in no danger. Jack told him to shut his mouth before he got into all the scarves he could knit with their guts. Rhys was quiet for a while before he couldn’t keep his brain mouth shut any longer and asked him if he even knew how to knit.

**_“I just know ‘cus you stutter like an anti-social twenty year-old who’s still a virgin.”_ **

_“….People look up to you? I’m sorry, I’m slightly confused. Please explain?”_

**_“You think you’re funny, huh? I really wish you had a face, so I could ruin it.”_ **

They past the hour like this. The both of them becoming more comfortable speaking through their thoughts. Rhys becoming more of a nervous wreck as the time went on and eventually Jack ended up smearing the co-pilots blood on the ship's interior. Some drops were floating around now. Rhys didn’t speak much after that, maybe too scared or something of the like. Jack thought about this more a moment before snapping his fingers.

**_“Can you even feel emotions? I’m talking like, platonic hate or something, or is just an ongoing repeat of shit jokes?”_ **

_“To be honest, I’m not sure. I know I was something before this, but I don’t remember what. Makes it difficult to feel certain things I guess.”_

**_“Really bumming me out here, cupcake.”_ **

Another round of that soft laugh.

_“Not really. I mean, I get to float around in Handsome Jack’s head, who else can say that?”_

“Sir, we are arriving at the space station of Amita.” The captain spoke shakily, wiping some dried blood off his shirt.

“Fucking finally.”

_“The chieftain of the tribe of this territory is waiting for you outside. He’s nervous.”_

**_“Oh really? About what, sweetheart?_ **

_“He’s nervous you’re going to kill him very unpleasantly.”_

Jack raised his eyebrows, impressed. **_“You know all that shit?”_**

_“Well, sorta, not really, but I know he’s thinking it. I like to think I’m good at reading people.”_

**_“Still really wishing you had a body to decapitate your head from. I bet it would be easy to rip off with just my hands. All thin and shit.”_ **

_“This is why you don’t have friends, Jack.”_

* * *

 

The northern hemisphere of the planet had been scanned by Rhys once Jack’s feet hit the ground. He still didn’t understand how he did it when he was just a chip in his arm, something to do with advanced science and crap. He’d stick with the science of guns and mass murder, thank you very much. Some people just had certain talents for certain things. Rhys didn’t find it totally logical, though.

Rhys, however, seemed pleased to be able to translate the foreign language of the tribesmen for the deal to proceed with no casualties. Jack was pleased with the offer of trade and agreed that they could have mutual benefits with Hyperion protection and Amita’s vast amount of resources. Rhys sounded proud of him for not shooting that one thing that gave him the stink-eye.

**_“Hey Rhysie?”_ **

_“Yes?”_

**_“What’s it like up there?”_ **

_“In your head? Well, I…uh. I can’t actually see anything in your brain or where my chip is, since all I see is codes and geographical maps of the planet. It’s hard to explain.”_

**_“Well, that’s boring. Your pretty lame for an AI, cupcake.”_ **

_“Oh yeah? What do you do when you get bored?”_

**_“Make a horse out of diamonds.”_ **

_“…What?_

**_“His name’s Buttstallion. I’m thinking of putting him in a museum about me in a few years. He’ll be a part of a hero’s history.”_ **

_“I take it back. This is why you don’t have friends.”_

Jack barked out a laugh as he crossed a bridge with flowing turquoise water underneath, heading out to where Rhys said a lake was. It was the polar opposite of Pandora, and Jack felt out of his element of the lush green forests. Rhys, however, seemed to soothe his wound up nerves by telling him all the poison in the leaves, and the alligators who could change skin, and the fish that could breathe out of water. It made him so much more relaxed.

The space shuttle was set to leave in another hour or so, so they didn’t have enough time to go sight-seeing. Jack had a feeling that he would come back here again, though. Maybe it was because it was a new planet with riches and exotics. Or the annual sacrifices to the tribe’s gods that had people put through trials of the extremes. Or how Rhys wouldn’t stop going on about coming back and exploring the southern hemisphere, which was rumored to never turn into night. Either one was a good reason to him.

After he boarded the shuttle and took off, he found himself looking back towards the planet and staring for a long time before talking to an also unnaturally silent Rhys.

**_“The planet’s name is in the same language as the rednecks, right?_ **

_“That is correct.”_

**_“So, what does it mean?”_ **

Jack closed his eyes and listened to airy light laughter that escaped throughout his head and into his body. The past thought of having the chip taken out vanishing as he leaned his chin onto his hand and imagined. He imagined soft lips curved into a grin with bright white teeth glinting at him as Rhys spoke.

_“The planet’s name, Amita, stands for infinite or unmeasurable. More commonly referred to as eternal love.”_

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> It needed to be done. 
> 
> Thank you for reading.


End file.
